Dirk I Rodriguez Bariatric Surgeon

Dr. Rodriguez is very nice. He explained the good and the bad of the surgery. His office staff has been excellent to me so far.

I think my surgeon will be Dr. Dirk Rodriguez. When I met with him my impression of him was that he is a no-nonsense kind of a doctor. He seemed concerned that I know exactly what I was in for and that I know that the surgery is not the total cure, but it is just the tool to lose the weight. His staff was very friendly and helpful. I have spoke to a few of his past patients, some were good reviews and some were not so good, but I felt comfortable with him and so we will see.

I have had one consultation with my surgeon, so I do not have alot of information on him as yet. I am awaiting insurance approval for the surgery. He was informative about the surgical procedure and encouraged me to ask any questions I might have. He carefully explained the risks involved with the surgery. He kept emphasizing the importance of exercise after surgery to achieve and maintain weight loss. My impression of Dr. Rodriguez was positive after this initial visit. On the downside, I am not as impressed with his office staff. The letter to my insurance company did not go out as soon as he indicated that it would. I have made several calls to his office trying to get information on the date the letter was sent & to see if they could tell me who signed for the letter on the insurance end. (All letters to insurance companies are sent certified mail.) I am still waiting on that information from them.
11-6-02 Today I am 5 months post-op & have lost 80 lbs. I could not be happier with the results of this surgery or with my surgeon, Dr. Dirk Rodriguez. He is one of the few Drs's in TX performing the lap assisted RNY. He is very concerned with his patients care, both before & after the surgery. My life has changed so much with the weight I have lost thus far. I feel as if I have come out of a prison I have such freedom of movement now compared to pre-op. I am doing all I can to lose weight by eating correctly & exercising. I still have 80 lbs or so to go, so I am looking at the glass as half full now since I have 80 lbs gone. Good luck to everyone who has this life changing surgery.

Met Dr.Rodriguez at the Mid-Cities Support meeting. Found his explanations to be clear and his attitude somewhat humorous rather than stuffy like some doctors. When I had consultation, found him to be very thorough.
Office staff has been cooperative when I have had occasion to deal with them.
He STRESSES exercise over and over. Some future patients might be itimidated by his matter-of-factness. Aftercare is stressed with a contract between him and the patient to exercise, drink water, ingest protein and to attend support group at least once per month.

Hi there, my first impression of Dr R. was that he is very serious about this surgery and your part in the role. He seemed to be very well respected at the hospital and everyone knew him. His staff is excellent even though the insurance letter did not go out as soon as I was told that it would. He really expects for you to excerise everyday after the surgery. He seems caring and wants you to succeed. He really discussed the risks of the surgery and the aftercare program. I was kind of slow and had to call Karen to ask what I was supposed to be doing! duh! She was very sweet and we went over everything AGAIN. I would rate Dr. R very high as an overall surgeon. Of course I am only 1 1/2 weeks post-op so if anything changes I will update. My surgery date was 10/25/02.

My first impression of Dr Rodriguez and his nurse Karen has been and STILL is positive.
My impression has not changed over time, in fact may have improved.
The office staff is fine...
I really can't pinpoint what I like least about the doctor..Future patients should know he is very blunt and truthful as any doctor should be.
The doctor has a booklet for all patients to read regarding sugery and Karen goes over it in detail with you. After surgery, he reiterates the importance of the aftercare program and incorporating exercise as an important part of your life in the success of this surgery.
The aftercare program is very structured but it's also important you sturcture it to your own life. Just follow a program that works for you.
The risks are covered in the booklet you are to read prior to the first visit. I went in with a list of questions I had, and he and his nurse will go over them with you. They will spend time with you until all your questions are answered..I'd be concerned if one did not have any questions at all considering this is a major surgery...
I"m very happy with my choice with Dr Rodriguez. The only drawback was that his office is 3 hours away from where I live, but it's managable. I think he has both surgical competence and great bedside manner.
I am only one week post-op and have been very fortunate to have had the procedure laproscopically. I have not had one incident of nausea. I have been tolerating the liquid diet just fine. I stop when I'm full, even if it is less than the amount allowed. I think one of the most important key factors is to MAINTAIN a POSITIVE ATTITUDE, have proper support prior to surgery. Stress and a poor attitude will only hinder your recovery!!! If you tell yourself you feel like crap....YOU WILL feel like crap! Of course I have pain, but it's managable with proper medications.

First impressions are everything. Dr. Rod and especially the staff are professional and top notch. Dr. Rod exudes confidence and shares it with you. Calls are always returned promptly and all questions are answered. The Dr. and staff encourage questions and are detailed in all information provided including the risks involved. Aftercare is extremely important. Diet and exercise after the surgery are stressed. You will be told time and time again that the surgery is a tool and diet and exercise are the important part to a healthy life. I wish there was a negative to balance the positives but there just isn't. Anyone from Dallas, seriously consider Dr. Rod. It is only a 2 hour drive - and an easy drive as well.

Dr Rodriguez is a very handsome and intelligent man. He is caring and listens well. He never sits (or stands) still which might bother some people. I found his staff friendly and well informed.
I have nothing about him that I dislike and I would recommend him to any future patients. Emphasis on aftercare is heavy. Surgery is NOT the final step, it is merely a beginning tool. The office provides you with a very good booklet for aftercare instruction which also has diet and even recipes in it.

Pre-op the risks and complications of the surgery were thoroughly covered. All of my questions before and after the surgery were answered completely.

Surgical competence is much more important than bedside manner, but Dr. Rodriguez had aces in both. He can be a bit abrupt, and if you are visibly in pain, he will tell you --You're getting Toradol (or whatever med) now.

He and his staff and the hospital staff, all handled my phobias well and I feel that should I need surgery in the future this experience will have gone a long way towards eliminating my phobias.

Suezanne Wells 10/24/02
date of surgery 10/18/02

I met Dr Rod on Wed, Oct 9. He seemed very straight forward and confident. He explained the surgery to me and went over my medical information. I left feeling comfortable about putting my life in his hands.

<P ALIGN="left">5/2002: My first impression of Dr R was no nonsense, but not without a sense of humor as well. He knows what works about this surgery is very careful to explain that he believes exercise is very important to his patients success. He answered every question that my husband and I had. We spent 2 hours in the exam room and it was 2 hours very well spent. I was sent a booklet (and your office paperwork is usually in it as well so you can already have it filled out as your lobby wait is not very long-however mine wasn't--no biggie). It explains the different surgeries, the success/failure rates, what Dr R expects and provides. You read it before you go, he goes over it with you while your're there and he asks you to re-read it when you get home. He is quick to point out the risks of the surgery, that this is a major surgery, he also points out the risks of staying obese. HOwever, the ramifications of these risks from surgery are not covered in depth. I have been assigned my own nurse, Karen, who is just wonderful! Everyone was very helpful!


10/4/02: The following is completly MY OPINION, and I am entitled to state my opinion. I would not and cannot in all good faith recommend this doctor for this surgery. He told my husband and I that he had had only 1 "failure" and this person died but he didn't believe that it was WLS related. He also told my husband that this (my complications) had never happened before. I had 2 people come to me while I was in hospital and tell me that "same thing had happened to them", one in December and one in April. I know of a person who had a consult with him in August and he stuck to his story about not having any surgeries with complications--my surgery was in July. You have to make your own decision, yes, complications can happen at any time, it just seems to an abnormally high rate with him.</P>